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Guyana is a pristine South American country with an array of rivers and virgin forests that naturalists have only recently begun to explore. Travelers who venture into this raw, natural paradise will encounter untouched rainforests, vast savannahs, rugged mountains, and a variety of tropical wildlife.

Visitors to Guyana’s unmapped terrain will traverse the nation’s diverse landscape, from abundant jungles to expansive rivers. When hiking through the Kaieteur National Forest travelers can witness the remarkable Kaieteur Falls, the highest single-drop waterfall in the world. The picturesque Kanuku Mountains, one of the few remaining pristine Amazon habitats, soar as high as 3,000 feet over south-western Guyana. The Iwokrama Canopy Walkway allows visitors to discover one of Guyana’s diverse rainforests with a view from the treetops.
More than 80 percent of Guyana’s land mass is carpeted with untouched forests, making this lush country home to over 4,000 species of plants and animals. When trekking through the nation’s varied terrain, visitors may witness unique animals such as the jaguar, capybara and green anaconda. Guyana is also known as a paradise of avifauna, with more than 800 species of rare birds such as the Guianan Cock-of-the-rock, Harpy Eagle, and Blood-colored Woodpecker. Travelers may come across the giant anteater, giant South American river turtle, giant otter and the Victoria Amazonica lily – each the largest of their species.
Holbrook has led travelers to wild, uncharted destinations for more than four decades. Our expertise in locales that are off the beaten path has guided us in developing cutting-edge programs for travelers who desire to explore the beautiful wilderness of Guyana and learn from its natural wonders, unique flora and fauna, and distinct culture.

Buildout

Overview

Environment

The only English-speaking nation in South America, more than 80 percent of Guyana is densely carpeted with forests and inhabited by some of the world’s most stunning wildlife. Among its many habitats are mangroves, coastlands, vast savannahs, swamp, and the overlap between the Amazon Basin and the world’s largest tracks of pristine tropical rainforest. Guyana’s crown jewel is undoubtedly Kaieteur National Park, brimming with biodiversity and home to the spectacular Kaieteur Falls, a single-drop waterfall which towers four times higher than Niagara Falls.

Wildlife

Thanks to its untouched ecosystems, Guyana is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. It is home to over 4,000 species of plants and a multitude of fauna including Jaguar, False Vampire Bat, Capybara, and Green Anaconda. Its environments support an impressively high number of endemic, rare, and remarkable species, including Giant Anteater, Giant South American River Turtle, Giant Otter, and Victoria Amazonica Lily — each the largest of their species.

Travel Info

Entry & Exit Requirements

U.S. and Canadian citizens must have a valid passport to enter Guyana. Passports must be valid for at least six months after the date of entry.

A visa is not required for visits up to 30 days.

If you are not traveling with a U.S. passport, please check with the Embassy of Guyana for the requirements based on your nationality.

Health Information

IMMUNIZATIONS

The Centers for Disease Control recommends that all travelers be up to date on routine vaccinations such as measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus vaccine, varicella (chicken pox) vaccine, and your yearly flu shot before every trip.

Some physicians recommend that travelers get hepatitis A and typhoid vaccines before visiting Guyana.

MALARIA

The CDC warns that travelers to Guyana are at moderate risk for exposure to malaria. Malaria is caused by a parasite found in Anopheles mosquitos, which are active from dusk until dawn. Prevention is twofold: the use of anti-malarial drugs and the prevention of insect bites. If you choose to use an anti-malarial drug, as recommended by the CDC, see your physician for a prescription.

CHIKUNGUNYA

In December 2013, French Guiana reported locally transmitted cases of chikungunya for the first time in South America. Local transmission means that mosquitoes in the area have been infected with chikungunya and are spreading it to people. CDC recommends that travelers to South America protect themselves from mosquito bites.

ZIKA VIRUS

Locally transmitted cases of Zika virus have been reported in Guyana. Local transmission means that mosquitoes in the area have been infected with Zika and are spreading it to people. The CDC recommends that travelers to Guyana protect themselves from mosquito bites. As a precaution, the CDC advises women who are pregnant to consider postponing travel to any area where Zika virus transmission is ongoing.

SUN EXPOSURE

The effects of the sun can be damaging to the eyes and skin. Spending time outdoors exposes you to the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays, even on cloudy days. To protect yourself from the sun, use a broad spectrum sunscreen of at least SPF 15, protect skin with clothing, wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses, and drink plenty of fluids.

Currency

The currency of Guyana is the Guyanese Dollar.

Electricity

The electrical current in Guyana is 240V 60Hz AC. Travelers from the United States need to use a converter.

Time Zone

The time zone of Guyana is Guyana Time Zone (UTC-04:00).

Guyana does not observe Daylight Saving Time.

Departures and arrivals on flight schedules are listed in the local time.

Communications

PHONES

Guyana’s country code is +592.

To call Guyana (from the U.S.): Dial 011-592-(xx-xxx-xxxx)

To call the United States: Dial 001-(xxx-xxx-xxxx)

Please check with your cell phone provider if you’re unsure whether or not your cell phone will work internationally. Be aware that you are likely to incur additional charges for international use. It may be more affordable to purchase a local SIM card upon arrival.

INTERNET

Internet is widely available in Georgetown, and many hotels and lodges offer free WiFi.

Resources

Reading List

FIELD GUIDES

Birds of Northern South America, Vol. 2: Field Guide

Robin Restall, Clemencia Rodner & Roger Williams

This comprehensive field guide, featuring an astounding 6400 paintings and 2308 maps, covers all the birds from Ecuador to Guiana.

Neotropical Rainforest Mammals, A Field Guide

L.H. Emmons

Compact enough to slip into your daypack, this field guide to the mammals of Central and South American features 29 color plates of more than 200 species.

MAPS

Guyana Suriname & French Guiana Map

ITMB

A colorful, detailed travel map of Guayana at a scale of 1:850,000 with a map of the region from Georgetown west to Paramaribo and Cayenne on the reverse.

GUIDEBOOKS

The Bradt Guide Guyana

Kirk Smock

A comprehensive, practical guide in the ground-breaking British series, with recommendations for adventure activities in the jungles, in the mountains and on the coast.

NATURAL HISTORY

A Neotropical Companion

John Kricher & Mark Plotkin

From plants and animals to birds and bugs, it's all here in this wonderfully written overview of the ecology, habitats, plants and animals of Central and South America.

Chrysalis

Kim Todd

In this illustrated tale of a remarkable life, Todd (Tinkering with Eden) illuminates how 17th-century naturalist Maria Sibylla Merian turned a childhood passion for butterflies into a groundbreaking life of art, science and exploration in the wild Guianas, searching for the secrets of metamorphosis.

Tropical Nature

Adrian Forsyth & Ken Miyata

Two uncommonly observant and thoughtful field biologists offer a lucid portrait of the tropics through 17 marvelous essays that introduce the habitats, ecology, plants and animals of the Central and South American rainforests.

Edge of the Jungle

William Beebe

A collection of 12 essays on the Amazon and its ecology and wildlife. A scientist-explorer with the soul of a poet, Beebe wrote dozens of books about his adventures in tropical America and Guyana.

HISTORY & CULTURE

The Penguin History of Latin America

Edwin Williamson

Beginning with the Spanish conquest, this brisk history covers questions of empire, colonialism and nationalism through the 1980s.

U.S. Intervention in British Guiana: A Cold War Story

Stephen G. Rabe

Rabe presents convincing evidence of a covert intervention by the C.I.A. in British Guiana between 1953 and 1969, intended to unseat Cheddi Jagan, a Marxist popular among the South Asian majority.

Masters of All They Surveyed: Exploration, Geography, and a British El Dorado

D. Graham Burnett

A lively, well-illustrated account of the 19th-century exploration, mapping and British Imperial adventures in what is now Guyana.

The Naturalist on the River Amazons

Henry Walter Bates

A spell-binding early account of the river and its environs, first published in 1863. This classic chronicle of Bates's scientific adventures, part natural history and part travelogue, has inspired generations of tropical biologists.

Wanderings in South America

Charles Waterton

The original observations and travels of the early 19th-century naturalist in Guyana.

Buxton Spice

Oonya Kempadoo

This semi-autobiographical novel captures the culture and flavor of Guyana, and the tensions between the racially mixed East Indian and Afro-Caribbean inhabitants of fictional Tamarind Grove.

Guyana

Rhonda Mullins & Elise Turcotte

Montreal resident Ana copes with the loss of her husband by compulsively investigating the suicide of her son's beloved hairdresser, a woman from Guyana who lived through the Jonestown Massacre.

The Sly Company of People Who Care

Rahul Bhattacharya

Rahul Bhattacharya sets his first novel in tropical Guyana, casually evoking both the watery landscapes ("The drenched wooden houses on stilts warmed my soul," his character remarks) and the dizzy cultural mix of Indian, African, Portuguese, Chinese and Amerindian.